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Yoga, with a Twist
Entry 14 of 23 | show all | print this entry |
One of the things that I am hoping to find here in India is a good yoga class! I knew that yoga here was different than the type of yoga that's popular in the U.S., but I assumed that since yoga comes from India, I'd be able to find an instructor or course that would at least allow me to practice the postures and breathing exercises that yoga is known for. Sharon also wants to find a yoga class or instructor, so we've both been doing a bit of internet research to see what we can find. However, finding the type of yoga that we're looking for has been much more challenging than I expected, and we've had several adventures on our search for a class...The first adventure on our yoga quest took place this last week...
On Tuesday, 10/2, India celebrated Gandhi's Birthday, a national holiday here, and so we had the day off from work. Sharon decided to call a yoga center that she had found on the web, and she arranged for us to meet up with the "yogi" (the man who leads the yoga practice) on Tuesday afternoon. We met the man in front of a restaurant in the market near Sharon's apartment, and he asked us if we'd like to come see his yoga center, which he told us was only 3 km away. We decided to take him up on his offer and got in a cycle rickshaw to go with him for a visit. The "yoga center" was not anything like the yoga studios I'm used to in the U.S. In fact, the large marble-floored room was more like a temple than a yoga studio, with paintings of Hindu gods on the walls and a large shrine to the center's "guru" at the front, complete with life-sized photos of the guru (an old, bearded man wearing white), and even a neon-lit "Om" sign located at the top of the alter. There were also TVs set up on each side of the alter, and speakers surrounding the room. It seemed to me that this was definitely a well-supported yoga center, with the latest technology in place.
We spent almost 2 hours listening to the yogi tell us about his yoga practice and telling him what we wanted to learn. He said repeatedly that yoga was not about the postures, but about finding your "inner self" and doing deep meditation, and that the yoga in the U.S. that places so much emphasis on movement and postures isn't really true yoga. When we began to talk about logistics of taking yoga lessons with him, he was adamant that we'd need to take at least 2 hours of class a day, at least 5 days a week for the first month, in order to really learn the basics. Although I'd love to have that much time to devote to yoga, I'm not sure how feasible this would be for me, especially since work is probably going to pick up and take up more of my time, not to mention that I'm also looking for a Hindi tutor and dance class. I told him that I might not have the time to take class 5 days a week, and I said that I'd decide when I knew more about my work schedule. The yogi invited us to attend his weekly meditation session that is held every Sunday evening at the yoga center in order to get a better sense of the type of yoga he teaches. We thought this would be a good chance to check out how yoga is practiced here in India, so we said we would come this coming Sunday.
After finishing our meeting, the yogi invited us upstairs to have tea with his family. We politely accepted his offer and joined him for a quick cup of tea. After we had finished our tea and chatted a bit, we got up to go. Before we could get out the door, he invited us to stay for dinner with his family. I've heard and read a lot about how many Indians feel it's an honor to have guests over for dinner and are always ready to extend an invitation into their homes, but this was my first confirmation of what I've heard and read. Although it would have been fun to stay, it was getting late, and Sharon and I had work the next day, so we thanked the yogi for his very generous offer but declined, telling him that we'd be honored to have dinner with his family at another time.
Part II of our adventure took place on Sunday at the yoga session that the yogi had invited us to attend. I didn't think that this would be like the yoga I'm used to in the U.S., but I didn't know exactly what to expect. Sharon and I took a cycle rickshaw to the yoga center. When we pulled up, we could hear music and chanting coming from the upstairs studio. We followed the music and chants up the stairs and arrived at the studio entrance to find what seemed like at least 100 people sitting cross-legged on the ground, knee-to-knee, facing an elaborate and brightly-lit alter to the yogi's "guru." The yogi had told us to enter from the far side of the room so that people might not stare at us as much. However, when we tried to go through that side, a man stopped us, telling us that that was the men's side (as we later noticed), and so we went back and sat among the women, all dressed in bright, colorful saris.
Soon after we took our seats, a woman came up to us and asked us to move up to where she and the yogi were sitting at the very front of the room, right in front of the big shrine to the yogi's "guru." Sharon and I were hesitant to draw even more attention to ourselves by getting up and moving to the front, but the woman insisted and so we relocated ourselves to the "seats of honor" in the front of the room, facing the shrine. Soon the chanting paused while the yogi used one of the 4 remote controls sitting in front of him to turn on 2 big TV screens, one on each side of the shrine. He put in a tape and in a few seconds the "guru" appeared on the screen, talking in Hindi to a big group of televised followers. The people in the room with us watched and listened intently, and when the guru started chanting and singing, the people joined in. It seemed odd to me that the centerpiece of this religious service would be a pre-recorded, televised message from the guru, rather than chants and prayers led, in person, by the yogi. However, people didn't seem much to mind that their leader was on a TV screen, and they sang along and clapped with fervor. At a couple points in the chanting, some men in the group would stand up in the middle of the crowd and start jumping and dancing, as it "taken" by some spirit. The chanting continued for about 2 hours, and towards the end of that time, the yogi led some nasal breathing exercises, which was the only part of the evening that resembled the type of yoga that I'm familiar with.
Finally, the yogi turned off the TVs and people began to stand up and line up in front of the altar. The woman who had seated us in the front once again motioned to us to come to the front of the line where she handed us each a lit oil lamp. She showed us how to move the oil lamp in a circular motion in front of the altar, and so in unison, Sharon and I waved the oil lamps until the woman told us to pass the lamps on to the next people in line. We then went and sat by the yogi and his family who were all chanting and shaking bells and wooden percussion instruments. The yogi gave me and Sharon instruments to play, and so we sat and played music while each person took a turn at waving the oil lamps in front of the shrine.
After everyone had gotten up to the shrine, the ceremony ended and people began to collect their things to go home. It was now about 9pm, and Sharon and I, having work the next day, were eager to get home as well. However, before we could leave, one of the yogi's family members invited us up to his family's apartment for chai. We tried to decline, explaining that it was very late, but the man insisted, saying that we should just have a little chai before we go. So, as we did on our last visit, we agreed to have a quick cup of chai, and followed the man upstairs to his family's apartment. As we waited for the chai, he introduced us to his wife and kids, and showed us his own personal shrine to the "guru." His wife brought out the chai, and also some biscuits. After eating a biscuit or two and finishing our chai, we were ready to thank our hosts and head home. However, the wife kept bringing out more and more food, all different types of flaky, fried snacks that she had made. We obligingly tasting a couple of the fried delicacies, thanked our hosts and tried once again to explain to them that we had to get home, as it was past 9pm and we had work the next day. However, the man told us that his wife was cooking us dinner and asked us to stay. At this point, we realized that we had to leave now if we wanted to get home at a reasonable hour, so we thanked the man and his wife but told them that we would have to join them for dinner on another occasion. We thanked the yogi on our way out, and then caught separate cycle rickshaws to take us home.
Although this yoga experience was definitely different than the yoga I know, and I'm not sure I'll be a regular attendee at these Sunday "yoga" sessions, I'm glad that I had the chance to take part in this new experience that could happen only in India!
Latest Comments (1)
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Love your blog! (reply)
Dec 1, 2007 22:48 EST by jules_7907
Rachel,
After a hectic two months, I finally had some time to read several of your blog entries. I love your blog because its so descriptive- I feel like I'm in the room talking to you. It sounds like you are having a great time. I'm so happy for you. Talk to you soon.
love, Julie
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